Why does nobody talk about how many trees actually die from improper stakes?

I hit 50 trees removed this month for my company in Columbus that were killed by stakes left on too long or tied too tight. People always focus on pruning cuts or planting depth but I swear stakes cause more problems than people admit. You see this in your area too or is it just here?

2 comments

2 Comments

cora_martinez9d ago

Lol "improper stakes" sounds like something I'd accuse my ex of. But for real, you're spot on. I saw a maple in my neighborhood that literally had a nylon strap embedded into the trunk, like the tree grew around it over 10 years. It was basically strangling itself to death. I see this way more than bad pruning cuts too, probably because people think stakes are a set it and forget it thing. I personally yanked a few too many stakes out of my own yard because I forgot they were there until the tree started leaning. So yeah, it's definitely not just Columbus, it's everywhere.

blakem829d ago

Did you end up having to cut that maple down or did it survive after you got the strap off? Some of those trees can bounce back if you catch it early enough, right?